Lovers of District 12
by Hiei's Cute Girl
Summary: One-shot series about Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen; includes snippets of possibly all three books. My inner fangirl demanded it. Katniss/Peeta
1. First shot: The Joke

**Lovers of District 12**

**Summary:** One-shot series about Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen; includes snippets of books one, two and possibly three. My inner fangirl demanded it. Katniss/Peeta

**Book: **Catching Fire

_**WARNING: **_**lots of spoilers in all chapters. For any who have not read the books (since the movies have not caught up just yet), be warned.**

**The drabbles will be disjointed, with no real plot line, chronological order, updating schedule or other bothersome things. Everything will feature Peeta and Katniss in some way or another, though a few chapters will be about different characters too. This one features Finnick Odair, the handsome boy wonder from District 4. **

**First Shot  
****The Joke**

Peeta stirs, hearing Katniss call for him. After the monkey attack, he'd been trying to keep awake, but fatigue had gotten the better of him. He'd tried to hide it, but that encounter with the force field had left him very weak.

He opens his eyes, looking for the love of his life and finding two green, strange things leaning over him. A scream erupts involuntarily and he presses closer to the ground just as those above him burst out laughing.

Katniss and Finnick back up, both grinning madly and clutching their aching sides. Covered in medicine as they are, they look like two human sized algae. Peeta blushes and glares, unused to being the butt of the joke when he realizes something.

Finnick reaches out to grab Katniss' shaking shoulder, using her to steady himself as he's laughing too hard to keep his balance. And Katniss? She's giving sweet, rolling peals of merriment, wrapping an arm around Finnick to ground him and help him stay standing.

Despite their time together, this is the first time Peeta has ever seen her really laugh; laugh to the point she needs to wipe away the tears that surge helplessly.

It causes just a bit of dark, insidious jealousy that Finnick is the one who managed to make it happen, but when Katniss disengages from the handsome ex-victor and reaches for him with a beatific smile that quite enhances her features, Peeta couldn't care less.

The Games, his imminent demise to protect Katniss, President Snow, the uprisings, the hushed voices proclaiming it to be time for the rebellion… none of it mattered. He is _here_ with _her_, she is smiling for him and their hands meet as she gives him an easy hand up. He's loved this woman since he was but a boy and he couldn't help burning the memory of the sun rising at her back as she grins up at him.

"_I love you_," he wants to say, blushing lightly and returning her smile ever so sweetly, dimpling becomingly. "I love you, I love you, I love you…" he's desperate to tell her, but doesn't for the fear of her running away.

From the way Katniss colors slightly and lowers her gaze, he knows she understood his unspoken mantra. Then her eyes, such lovely gray eyes, come back up and her lips quirk enticingly. His heart skips two beats as, turning, she calls him over her shoulder, beckoning him to follow. He stares at her back for a moment then hurries after her, almost tripping over with his prosthetic leg.

_Anywhere. I would follow you anywhere you wanted me to._

Finnick glances between them as Katniss explains the medicine they had been sent via parachute, assessing Peeta's tell-tale blush and Katniss' instant retreat into "lecture mode" rather than face her _husband _directly. He breaks into a smug, satisfied smirk.

_Ah, young love…_

**The End**

**Words: 482 (I'm keeping count out of habit, but there's no real limits here.)**

**Dear Finnick, he was my favorite. Such a handsome, radiant and trustworthy boy. Poor thing, enslaved by the greedy, evil thirst of the President. Sometimes I hated Snow, sometimes I was moderately fond of him. **

**For the most part, I loathed him.**


	2. Second shot: Forgetting Herself

**Lovers of District 12**

**Summary:** One-shot series about Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen; includes snippets of books one, two and possibly three. My inner fangirl demanded it. Katniss/Peeta

**Book:** Catching Fire

**Yes, Finnick, the Quarter Quell, by the sea… it's the second shot and I am already repeating a theme. The next shot will probably be something different, but I make no promises. **

**Second Shot  
****Forgetting Herself**

As Katniss wades in the shallows, sharp eyes on the lookout for more oysters, she touches the shimmering waves of crystal blue water that laps her thighs. As the afternoon sun reflects as rainbows on the sea, she smiles softly at the beauty of the world around her.

Off to the side, Finnick sits fiddling with his trident, quite content to let Katniss do the diving. She was a quick study, catching onto his techniques so quickly one would think she'd been fishing all her life. That she could swim was a surprise, but he supposed everyone had their dirty little secrets. He watches the horizon, keeping a lookout for any hunters in the jungle, but he knows it is useless. Their errant enemies would not come close to the water if they could help it.

Peeta sits on his left, leaning against a tree and watching with attentive, hooded eyes as Katniss dives for another oyster and comes up holding her prizes above her head. She tosses the oysters and Finnick catches them, interested in the way Peeta's boyish features light up with gladness at Katniss' triumphant grin.

For one so sweet looking, he has quite a stout heart.

Johanna huffs at Katniss' energetic hunting, frowning in a put-upon way that not even Finnick believes. Despite her grumbling and growling, Johanna is fond of Katniss. After all, she was risking life and limb to save her. Finnick couldn't pretend to understand women, though. He could tell Johanna was sincerely invested in Katniss' survival… but that didn't mean she'd stop shooting the other girl glares. Katniss comes up and smirks at Johanna, but turns away toward the water.

Already lost in his own thoughts, Finnick is startled when Katniss' voice sounds just above the rush of the swelling waves. He strains, standing to see if she had spotted danger… and almost lets his mouth drop into a gaping expression when he realizes just what, exactly, Katniss is doing.

He turns to Peeta with a look of utter surprise and finds the boy looking on with what could only be called an indulgent smile. "She does that, sometimes," Peeta confides, looking longingly at the woman he's loved since he was a boy.

Katniss stood among the waves, singing softly as she walks slowly, looking for more oysters. Her voice rising as she forgets herself, smiling sweetly as she sings about the beauty that surrounded her in this shining sea. Finnick sits back down, entranced as her voice truly was mesmerizing.

"Wave of blue, long ago," he hears on the wind, lilting with District Twelve's unique accent.

"She gets it from her father," Peeta remarks conversationally, his eyes suspiciously bright.

Finnick smiles, "He must have been quite the vocalist, if his daughter can sing like this."

Peeta's blue eyes were soft with love and Finnick feels a spear of hate rush through him. How could the Capitol hurt this boy? What kind of people would take a youth so kind and put him in the Games?

"You should hear her when she's really into it," Peeta grinned, nodding toward his "wife".

Just then, Katniss belts out a high, dulcet note that holds in perfect harmony in the hush of the jungle. To everyone's surprise, the birds in the trees of the four-to-five wedge begin to trill, filling the jungle with birdsong. The jabberjays, designed for only torture, have dropped their previous voices… out of pure respect for her tune.

"Nothing but a stream," echoed in the shrill, high notes of the jabberjays.

Finnick looks back at Katniss, who is blushing to the roots of her hair and looking determinately at the water.

Smiling handsomely, Peeta looks on. "Just like her father."

**The End.**

**Words: 619**

**Katniss always downplayed her singing abilities in the book, but it's true that the mockingjays were more than willing to respectfully sing with her. When Rue passed, she sang and they fell silent… soon mimicking her. When she sang Rue's four-note warning, they were quiet and sang it as well.**

**Though she may try to avoid it, she's probably just as good as her father. Peeta said so, and though he's unreliable because he's in love, I'm inclined to believe him. In the movie, Katniss hardly sings remarkably well, but I suppose you can't have everything. Then again, in book three she accepts she really is as good as her father. I'm proud of her.**

**PS. The song is "Non c'è più", sung by Celtic Woman. **


	3. Third shot: Family

**Lovers of District 12**

**Summary:** One-shot series about Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen; includes snippets of books one, two and possibly three. My inner fangirl demanded it. Katniss/Peeta

**Book: **Catching Fire

**A little less beach fun and a little more family time. I'm a sap at heart.**

**Third Shot  
****Family**

Gale had been sent home, but the Everdeen household had yet to truly recover their wind; still meandering about the house with a sort of cloud hanging over their heads. Though Katniss would rarely head out hunting anymore, except on Sundays, their table couldn't be more bountiful. Peeta's family supplied them readily with bread, though the boy was still downcast about her deceit during the games. The money the Capitol gave her on a weekly basis was more than enough to feed an entire family in the Seam for a month and Katniss was cross between relieved that her family no longer starved and missing her old life… where she felt she fit in better.

Prim sits just behind them, tapping her spoon against the hardwood table that had been Gale's hospital bed for a while. Katniss is cooking side by side with her mother, measuring the spices with care, since she had a tendency of over seasoning everything. Her mother watches her with a small smile and Katniss flashes a grin of her own before Prim's upbeat spoon draws her gaze.

Smiling, since her father had once been quite a spoon-tapper when he had been alive, she takes up the spice cylinder, a hollow metal thing, and taps it steadily with her fingers. Prim's head snaps up at the accompanying beat and her expression blossoms with joy. The sisters play with the rhythm a while, before they fell into a recognizable tune and their mother snags a couple of spoons, making a tinkling sound using her fingers.

Laughing, Katniss begins her rendition of one of the quaint, woodland songs their district was famous for. She sings for the hunt, the whisper of trees, the cheery birdsong of the mockingjay… and her family joins in, filling their home with the music it had missed. Lit with warmth of the fire, the beat of their "instruments" and the voices of three happy women… it was home.

Peeta stands at the door, feeling like an intruder to their intimate moment, holding a bag of bread he had promised them for lunch. The Everdeen family don't falter in their merrymaking as they welcome him, Katniss even dancing to his side and bringing him into their tightknit circle of familial bonds. He smiles winsomely at them all, snagging a pan and beating it clumsily… but it was the thought that mattered.

Though Katniss' mother still doesn't approve and Primrose is quite shy, they beam at him and sing. His beloved is right in the thick of it, singing without shame and gladly… for this is her family and this is where she belongs.

The streets of Victor's Village were awash with snow and terrible winds of a midwinter blizzard. Peeta had braved them for the woman he couldn't help but love, and he is glad. Here, in a house that resonates with the happiness of the Everdeen family, he feels like he is home.

**The End.**

**Words: 490**

**The Everdeen household had once been quite a happy place when Katniss' father was alive. Before the announcements of the Quarter Quell, I believe that they tried to regain some of what they lost… and I really wanted to see it through. Put it in my own words, so to speak. I hope I managed it properly enough.**

**That's three chapters about Book Two. I better hurry and think up something for Book One or Three, no? I'm playing favorites, but I like it, so hush.**


	4. Fourth shot: The Proposal

**Lovers of District 12**

**Summary:** One-shot series about Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen; includes snippets of books one, two and possibly three. My inner fangirl demanded it. Katniss/Peeta

**Book: **Catching Fire

**I am starting to detect a pattern here. I ought to go re-read the other books and get me some inspiration, because Catching Fire is just _taking over_ this thing. **

**Featuring:**** Haymitch, because I love him. Also, a little bit of Effie, because her stylish sense and her stubbornness speaks to me. **

**Fourth Shot  
****The Proposal**

Katniss stares after Peeta's back as he hastily excuses himself and turns an inquisitive glace toward her mentor. Haymitch shrugs, looking into the depths of his white liquor glass with sudden interest. "I suppose he wanted it to be different. Real."

Young miss Everdeen looks stunned by his words, as if the thought had never occurred to her. No, her mentor corrects himself, it was more as if the thought of Peeta being seriously invested in what simmered between them confused her. Could she really be that blind?

She stands almost clumsily, her gray eyes filled with an urgency she probably didn't understand. "Sweetheart, he wants to be alone." She tosses him one of her patented stony looks and her drunkard of a mentor blinks in slow surprise. What had he done to provoke her? Surely she wasn't..?

He jumps to his feet, a credit to his innate balance that he doesn't instantly pitch onto his face from the amount of drinks he's downed. Following her closely, he is not surprised when she stops outside of Peeta's door and promptly lets herself in. Effie, standing a few feet away, gasps at the scandal of the two of them locked in a room without a chaperone. Haymitch looks to her for hope, perhaps he could wheedle her into procuring a key to Peeta's door. The wily little Katniss had gone and locked it on her way in.

* * *

Katniss stands just beyond the door, unsure of how to proceed. Peeta always came to her room and this is her first time intruding upon his private sanctum. It was much like her own, with a bed, a bathroom, the mouthpiece and a large dresser. Peeta is stretched out on the bed, facing away from her. He must have heard her barge in…

From the way the tips of his ears are burning a bright red, Katniss could assume he knew she'd come inside. Reaching his bed in two strides, Katniss falls to her knees beside him and places her hand over his. Peeta doesn't immediately pull away but his body does grow incredibly tense. She thinks about telling him how much she missed him, how much she thought about him, how much his cheese buns mattered to her, how she adores his smile… but she rethinks her strategy. None of that would help him feel better about the future they were both now trapped in, much less if he knew how caged she felt about it. Still, lying to Peeta never felt right, so she decides she should just plunge in, as she was wont to do.

"Peeta," she tries, but he doesn't even move. "Peeta, please, look at me."

He hunches his shoulders and she thinks he will pull away, but he is merely raising himself up to turn his head towards her. His sky blue eyes peek up at her from under boyish bangs and Katniss can't help her smile. "Hi, there."

Despite the terrible things they had both survived less than a few months ago, Peeta still retained the majority of his boyhood features. Blue eyes framed by long, chick yellow lashes and topped with strong, brown brows. His face is slim and he would dimple with just any hint of gladness. His chin was remarkably straightforward, no beard, with a touch of sweetness that fell in curls of blond hair, brushing just above his eyes. He'd lost a bit of weight, but he was still the boy with the bread that she remembered so fondly.

Between a few false starts and her own inability to truly communicate her feelings, Katniss was at a loss. His hand squeezes hers and in that she finds comfort. If he can dole out his brand of support even while feeling lousy, she could certainly brave the hazard that is talking… for a while. "I never actually intended to get married," she might as well start off with the facts. "I know everyone assumed Gale and I would end up together, but he really was just a hunting partner to me. It changed, of course, he's my greatest friend and confidante… but there is something with him I cannot share."

Peeta's listening, she could tell. It's all in the way his eyes follow her mouth and his hand twitches at the mention of her "cousin". She should not have mentioned Gale, but it had to be said. She loves him… just not the way everyone expected her to. Peeta might as well know that now.

"I do love him, but not perhaps the way a woman would love a man." She confides. She'd seen that love in her mother's eyes, seen the way it destroyed her when her husband had died. She wasn't sure she could love someone like that. "With the Games, many things changed. I certainly changed. I still don't want to have children… and I do not want to get married. I know… I haven't been the person you hoped I would be. I know that this, whatever it is, is below whatever expectations you had for us…"

Peeta sits up, vexed and ready to refute her points. She follows him up on the bed and hushes him with a finger to his lips.

"But if I am to live my life with someone, share every waking moment… I'd rather it be with you. If it's with you, I'm not afraid of marriage. You're my partner. I could never deserve you, Peeta, and I feel like you deserve better… but will you marry me?" She asks finally. Peeta hadn't been too pleased that they had been basically instructed to marry on behalf of their mentor. Katniss decided that they _had_ to marry, but they might as well do it on their terms. The Capitol would not own her wedding, most certainly not. At least, not completely. She wanted to ask Peeta because she really was scared… and because they _were_ a team.

Peeta is staring at her like he couldn't quite believe what just happened. Blinking up at him, Katniss cocks her head slightly to the side and smiles softly.

Sliding off of the bed and getting down to one knee, she holds his gaze and his hand and his heart as she enunciates with utmost care.

"Peeta, will you marry me?"

Her startled partner takes a while to react even then, but his winsome smile and his too bright eyes were enough. "Yes," he whispers as he pulls her up into a crushing, desperate embrace. "A thousand times _yes_."

Haymitch is at the door, muffling Effie's rather enthusiastic squeal with his hand over her mouth. She mutters in outrage under it, but he walks backwards, leading them both out. The implications of Katniss' proposal were not lost of Haymitch and he curses viciously. Effie pinches his arm in reprimand before she primly leads him away, getting seven kinds of excited about the wedding, the reception, and oh goodness! What would they do about getting a wedding dress this late in the season?

Haymitch only listens with half an ear as his stomach sinks along with his heart. Katniss might not have realized it herself, but she had just broadcasted her feelings for the boy. Being intensely similar to her, he knew the signs when he saw them.

_She's in love._

**The End.**

**Words: 1,220**

**That kickass Haymitch knew from the beginning, sly dog. Of course, he also loves Peeta (as told in Mockingjay), so it's no surprise he knew. Kudos to whomever sees the reference of "Pride and Prejudice", the film. **

**This one was longer than the rest. Sorry about that, folks.**


	5. Fifth shot: Stage Fright

**Lovers of District 12**

**Summary:** One-shot series about Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen; includes snippets of books one, two and possibly three. My inner fangirl demanded it. Katniss/Peeta

**Book: **Mockingjay

_**WARNING, SPOILERS.**_

To my dearest Trude (Guest): Yes, indeed, the train has cameras and listening devises. Katniss made it quite clear she suspected it in _Catching Fire_. She and Haymitch went as far as hopping off of the train to talk about the President's visit. I don't think she cared this time, she's always a little rash when it comes to helping those she loves. Like when she ran up to volunteer (sounding and looking desperate) or when Prim was almost locked out of the lower levels of District 13 (she ran and pushed people out of the way in panic). This is the reaction I wanted to portray in the last chapter; her overwhelming need to clear the air so Peeta isn't hurt… urgent and afraid. Thank you for your constant reviews! I hope you stay and accompany me for as many chapters as I can think of!

**As a reminder, Mrs. Everdeen stays in District 4, according to Chapter 27 of the book. Gale is in District 2. I assume Annie went home to District 4 and Johanna probably followed. Thus, onwards to the new chapter!**

**Fifth Shot  
****Stage Fright**

When Johanna got a call from Katniss, she wasn't sure what to do. Annie insisted she could fare well alone for a few days and her young son had happily skipped school to wave her off at the station. Having no family to turn to after the battle, Johanna would have felt almost lost if it hadn't been for Annie. Apparently, Finnick had one last, parting request for his pretty wife before he'd been frog marched out with the "Star Team" on a suicide mission. Annie, ever the sweetheart, had taken her in as per her late husband's wishes. Good thing, too. Johanna was one hell of a nanny.

Still, the ex-victor from District 7 had no clue as to what awaited her in 12. To hear Gale tell it, it was still a wasteland. Then again, Gale hadn't set foot in 12 for more than a decade. Something about the call with Katniss had rubbed her the wrong way, though.

They had kept in touch, of course, after the revolution. Katniss had been confined to District 12 until further notice and Johanna hadn't visited due to her need to remain and help Annie with the rigors of normalcy. She had been present when Peeta had rather nervously asked for Katniss' hand in marriage. Mrs. Everdeen was a force to be reckoned with, alright. Johanna could see where brainless had gotten her guts.

Already at Station 12, Johanna grabs her meager bag holding some clothes and a picture of Annie and Finnick, and nimbly hops off the train. Keen eyes seek her friend/rival and find only one very grumpy looking Haymitch. At her disdainful stare, his chin comes up in defiance, willing her to question his presence. Stalking towards him, they consider one another before Haymitch finally sighs. "You'll see when you get there," he responds enigmatically.

Confused, but appeased for the moment, Johanna follows the old drunkard as he leads the way out of the Station. She's incredibly surprised to see that, despite Gale's remarks, 12 is flourishing. People are well-dressed and well-fed, walking around with smiles on their faces. Though habit made cars an item of luxury and the streets are empty of them, the sunny Sunday afternoon had the Central Square of the District teeming with its citizens. The unseasonably warm midwinter day was full of laughter and the loud shouts of merchants announcing their wares. District 12 had rebuilt itself from the ashes, risen like a phoenix, and they were doing it marvelously.

People were getting out of Haymitch's way like he was a leper and Johanna realizes that though 12 had left the horrors of the war behind, not everything could be swept under the rug. Still, Haymitch's status as an outcast made their trudge through the Square a speedy trip. Within minutes, they were at Victor's Village, sloshing their way across the melted snow.

Johanna looks at her sodden boots with distaste before Haymitch points her toward a shabby, but warm looking house off to the right. Of the twelve lodgings, only two seemed to be a place called home, though only the Mellark household held anything that looked cozy and bright.

"In there," he grounds out and she rolls her eyes. The least he could do is accompany her to the threshold, but already he was beating a hasty retreat, heading for his own dark house. Wishing glares could kill, Johanna takes the last few steps toward the front door.

Knocking took a bit of courage, but Johanna is proud of her steady hand. The door swings open and Peeta's face blooms into a smile at the sight of her. Something that had squeezed her dark heart terribly loosens at his friendly reception. Peeta had always had a way with people.

"Johanna's here!" he calls over his shoulder before stepping out to embrace her. Johanna instantly freezes on contact, but she huffs in amusement and patting his back, greets him. "Welcome!" Somehow her bag has materialized in his grip and she is promptly ushered into their home.

Puzzled that Katniss had yet to make herself known, Johanna waits for her eyes to adjust to the soft candlelight. The Mellark household is a lovely place, full of paintings in Peeta's steady brushstrokes, odd knickknacks and flowers in every corner. It also smells heavenly of cinnamon, sugar and butter. Her money is on Peeta, Katniss had never been much of a homemaker.

"Johanna!" a familiar, and secretly cherished, voice chimes in from her left.

A fire blazes in the living room chimney, surrounded by various chairs, sofas and loveseats. A small coffee table sits right in the center, between the fire and the largest sofa. A head of dark curls, now as unruly and abundant as before, turns and Johanna can see Katniss' wide smile. Peeta's soft influence is clearly and obviously visible in the openness of her expression and Johanna smirks crookedly.

"What? No welcoming kiss?" she teases and is surprised by Katniss' apparent struggle to rise. Already she's tried twice with no success.

Her husband is at her side in the blink of an eye, startling Johanna. When did he learn to move that fast or that silently?

Gently taking her by the elbow, Peeta smoothly helps his wife to her feet, unobtrusively taking her arm and leading her to Johanna. However, Johanna's eyes aren't on their progress, but on Katniss' protruding and rotund belly.

Strong arms come up and Johanna has to widen her stance just to remain standing. For a pregnant woman, Katniss has the strength of ten men. Johanna also regrets teasing her with that welcoming kiss. Katniss gives her two for her sass and they're both like slaps to the face. She really must love this idiot to allow her to mistreat her like this.

"Hey, hey! Pancake baby!" Johanna complains, hiding her blush by trying to unsuccessfully untangle herself from Katniss. Her face communicates exasperation, but they know better. Pleased, not-so-secretly, by the warm welcome, Johanna only grumbles _a little_ as both ex-victors lead her to a reclining chair by the fire.

A grinning old woman pops her head in and declares, "Dinner for three?"

"For five, please," Katniss says sweetly as her husband helps her settle back on the wide sofa. "You'll stay for dinner, won't you?"

With a cackle, Greasy Sae disappears down the hall and into the kitchen.

"Kitty-Kat, should I bake some cheese buns?" Peeta offers, nuzzling her ear and sharing a long look with his wife. A nod from her and Peeta is following the old woman into the kitchen with a parting "glad to see you" at Johanna.

Ever the consummate conversationalist, Johanna gets right to the point. "Eight months and you couldn't think to tell me I'd be a godmother?"

Katniss blushes with shame and ducks her head, soothing Johanna's wounded ego. "I've been dying to tell you forever," she starts to say and cuts her friend a glare when the other woman snorts. "But that's why I called you."

From her spot in the single seat, Johanna has a perfect view of her friends face. It still took her a while to see it, but it was obvious once she started looking. The wide eyes, the trembling hands and the creased brow gave Katniss away.

For all her guts and character, the girl on fire is _terrified_.

That explains her husband's searching glance just before he left, the hopeful look he'd shot her way. No matter his talents with words, not even Peeta could find a way to put his wife's fears to rest. Johanna growls, but her expression lacks any real bite.

Standing from her spot and plonking down next to her fat-baby friend, she crassly takes Katniss' hand and looks straight into her eyes.

"When Annie's son, Collin, was born… everyone was holding their breaths." Johanna begins; now petting Katniss' scarred appendage. "District 4 hadn't seen a birth in a while and the baby had come too early. The doctors couldn't stick enough tubes in the poor kid and Annie was beyond gone at this point. Losing Finnick and her baby would have killed her, I think."

Taking a breath and peeking at her friends face, Johanna deems it safe to continue. "Your mom saved the day, as usual. Mrs. 'Nurse' trumps doctors. They weren't happy and looked a little like District 4's puffer fishes," Johanna never could help insulting people, "but the baby was alive, fresh and perfectly healthy."

Johanna smirks then, lost in the memory of Annie's reaction. She'd been there, through the whole thing, holding her hand. It was the least she could do, given that Annie had given her a home and a family. "Annie just loves your mom. Collin adores her too, calls her his 'Mam'. He was so small, all pink, soft and smelling of poop. A short, downy crown of gold was all he had for hair and he had no teeth… but he cooed at his mother's voice and gave her a wobbly smile that was all Finnick. Annie thought he was the most beautiful thing in the world."

Katniss was looking up at her, holding a protective hand over her child and seeking comfort in her words. Frightened and vulnerable, like the very baby she held so infinitely dear. Johanna brushes back one unruly curl from Katniss' forehead, her expression achingly gentle.

"She said it was all worth it, brainless."

**The End**

**Words: 1,571 (my longest yet)**

**I love these two together, they always felt like the best of friend and the worst of enemies. Both of them are fond of one another and I think that they'd still be the greatest of pals despite the distance between them. They called each other ****brainless**** and I thought it was uproariously cute. **

**Johanna would make one hell of a nanny, I know it. Maybe not a great mother, but if you give her a baby to boss around, I think she'd be happy for life. She may also be that grand, evil aunt that gives candy on the sly, lets you play in the mud and loves to tease. I thought about getting her married to Gale, but knowing Katniss, she confided in Johanna about his role in killing Primrose… she'd probably never forgive him either. **

**Gale called her Catnip and Peeta calls her Kit-Kat because I am witty and smart and I adored the idea of him just loving her like that. It was probably a nickname calculated to irritate her and then became one that says "I love you" in every letter. Like Haymitch calling her "sweetheart". **


	6. Sixth shot: Assassin

**Lovers of District 12**

**Summary:** One-shot series about Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen; includes snippets of books one, two and possibly three. My inner fangirl demanded it. Katniss/Peeta

**Book: **Mockingjay

* * *

**Sixth Shot  
****Assassin**

Katniss stared at the daunting thing that is Haymitch's threshold for a moment. Peeta's arrival had propelled her into action the way nothing else had before. As was his wont, the boy with the bread gave her the hope to move on and live. Still, that required quite a bit of courage.

The loss of her sister had been like a blow, leaving her mute and listless. She'd never understood her mother's grief until she tasted it herself. Now, starting to wedge a life between the bouts of extreme sadness and anger, she realized there were many things left unsaid.

Like how President Snow had given her her voice back.

Though she had never had the chance to talk to Haymitch about it, maybe it would rest her weary soul to tell him now. Knocking felt worse than when she volunteered or when she was picked a second time to head into the arena. But Haymitch was still a poor host and he refused to even answer the door. Pulling a face, she opens it to find the utter darkness that awaits her beyond the threshold.

Pursing her lips in distaste at the smell of rotting, molting, unspeakable things, she closes the door. She trudges inward, seeking the slumped form of her mentor and finding him dozing in the reclining chair. Thinking about shaking him, Katniss decides to simply get to the good part. Stalking silently into the kitchen, she fills a pitcher and heads back, ready to upend the whole thing over him from the second floor.

Narrowed gray eyes glare at her from under shaggy blonde hair, mouth curled back in distaste. "I thought you'd outgrown showering me."

Putting the unnecessary pitcher aside, Katniss nudges one of the multitude of bottles strewn about on the floor. "I thought you'd outgrown getting piss drunk."

Raising his hands in a mockingly placating gesture, he sighs. "Relax, Soldier Everdeen."

Annoyed, but too tired to argue with him, Katniss merely sinks into the sofa next to his, scrunching up her nose at the smell. "I really should find you another cleaning lady."

At Haymitch's baleful look, Katniss cracks a smirk, but it fades much too quickly.

Now her mentor knows something is wrong.

"What's eating you, sweetheart?" he prompts, searching her face for clues.

Katniss struggles with it, rather perturbed and feeling mute again. At her expression, something triggers a memory in Haymitch. At the President's mansion, he was too drunk to see that what troubled her was monumental. He'd gone and frightened his little mockingjay into flight... And he didn't find her until Coin became the receiving end of her arrow.

Hoping a reminder might ease her plight, he starts, "Is this about Coin?"

Her eyes snap to his face and soften gratefully.

"What's about Coin?" a voice pipes in, followed by its owner. Haymitch nearly slaps himself. Since he'd been drunk out of his mind the other night, Peeta had helped him get home and had tried to pull him upstairs to his bed. Haymitch, even while drunk, insisted he preferred the couch. So Peeta had left him there to go bundle upstairs in the guest bedroom, the only remotely clean room in this whole, damn house.

Katniss' haunted eyes cut to Peeta in a hunted way that reminds Haymitch of the bird she is so related to... Even how she bends forward slightly, arms extended. _She's ready to jump out at any moment._

Eyeing the window longingly, Katniss looks prepared to do just that.

"Sweetheart, we promised." He reminds her and Katniss considers him very quietly for a minute. Like a cornered beast, Peeta keeps remarkably still and awaits Katniss' response.

"Never to lie or withhold information," she recalls calmly. Informally allowed to stay, Peeta walks in and chooses the only empty sofa in the room.

"I decided to kill Coin... Because she was no different from Snow," Katniss remarks, looking into the small fire still burning in the grate. Noticing its glow, Peeta stands to feed it a few logs, dousing them with gasoline to keep the flames alive. Within moments, the room is cozy.

Haymitch's chin comes up thoughtfully, calculating. "How so?"

"When I woke after Prim..." she chokes, takes in some air and continues. Peeta's hand over her own helps. "After Prim died, I was listless; walking all over the compound, you remember? I walked, but always the same direction. At one point, I turned to the right and stumbled upon Snow's gardens. It was guarded by two men and they let me pass after Paylor told them that anything in that room was my right."

Peeta's hand is warm and soft. Like it had been before their trudge to the arena... On the chariot, with the burning outfit Cinna designed.

It gives her strength.

"I found Snow in there, among his flowers. I cut one rose and he complimented my choice." She remembered how he looked and sounded. So tired, so defeated, so mocking… it is almost like she is standing right next to him again and the stench of roses fills her nose. Bile rises up in her throat and she has to clench Peeta's hand to keep herself grounded. Flooding her mind with him, instead, she feels safe enough to continue. The words tumble out even faster than they had before.

"We talked a little, since I had no weapons on me and I wasn't feeling up to clobbering him with a rose. We talked about how District 13 was full of cowards because they started the fight back in the Dark Days and withdrew when the going got too rough. How this time they also let the other Districts do the fighting and simply sauntered in to take the power in the last, definitive battle. How Coin pushed her support with simple TV airings and almost no military power. How he would have escaped the Capitol if he'd had a hover craft. How he had no need to murder children…" She stops then, looking forlorn as she thinks back, trying to place herself.

"He was manipulating you." Haymitch sums up, his expression sour.

"Yes," Katniss nods, "I was aware what he was vying for. Boggs had made that point quite clear to me. I was the single most threatening person to Coin's position of power. Should I choose to oppose her, she would have a serious upheaval on her hands, just because I was the face of the revolution. I think she made that quite clear even to Snow when she sent Peeta on that mission with us. Him being programmed to kill me, it was only a matter of time before I died. She needed me out of the picture, a usable martyr." Peeta's hand twitches in her own and attempts to withdraw. Katniss wouldn't have any of it, though, she needed him for support and she wasn't about to let him go. Not now, not ever again.

"Coin tried very hard to get me on her side. The Capitol insignia on the hover craft, the cleverness of the double bombings, and the ruthlessness of the method… it all smacked of Snow. However, Coin made one mistake. I had seen Gale and Beetee designing the trap, heard them discussing the idea of using a weak bomb first to kill a few then draw the first responders in to blow the lot of them sky high." She trembles, clutching Peeta as he looks horrified by the implication of her words. His love for her had made him and Gale rivals, but he'd never felt any true animosity toward the other man. Now, hearing his role in the death of Primrose, he couldn't help but feel the anger. Loathing and seething rage he could see mirrored in Katniss' deep gray eyes. "Primrose was hardly thirteen, only a baby! How could she be on the front lines if not for special permission from a higher rank! District 13 considered her a future breeder; strong and young and healthy. How could anyone but Coin allow it to happen? Coin, who had everything to win should I witness Prim's death and blame it on Snow!"

Haymitch stares at her mutely, looking grave and pained at the sight of her unquenchable agony. When he finally recovers his voice, it's soft and melancholic. "No wonder you went looking for me."

Katniss' head shakes in what looks like assent, cementing that she had needed someone to help her make sense of things. "I didn't even have to be there, there were millions of cameras that recorded it, forever. That I was there, that I was scarred so deeply by the explosion was a plus. A fire mutt, incapable of looking in a mirror ever again without thinking of Primrose. I needed to talk to someone so I could untangle that unsightly mess of things. What could I have done differently?" She folds in on herself, nearly withdrawing completely when Peeta's hand is gently extracted and, instead, his arms go around her.

She holds very still, not even breathing, because this is the first time they have embraced since the Quarter Quell. Almost a lifetime ago, she thinks; it certainly felt like it had been forever. Taking strength from what he offered, she straightens, intending to go on.

"I went looking for you that day, right after I ran out of the room, I was so confused. I needed someone to help me make heads or tails of this giant mess in my head. You're the smartest person I know." Spotting Peeta's offended look, she grins lopsidedly. "You wouldn't have known what to make of it either, though I did consider going to you."

"I'm sorry," Haymitch whispers, looking downcast.

Katniss treasures those words, but she glosses over them. It isn't what is important now. "Then Coin announced the 'New Hunger Games' idea she had come up with and how she was hoisting the choice all upon us… knowing we would vote in favor of the motion. That decided it all; that helped me realize that she would be no different from Snow. That no matter how hard the rebellion fought and conquered, it was all for naught. She had turned the revolution into a simple game of politics. If we were still putting children into an arena and calling it a sport, then we were no different than those who created the Hunger Games seventy five years ago." Taking a breath, she sighs, weary.

"I decided to change things to have a better world. I chose to be the Mockingjay so that our actions could mark a new path, I became a trailblazer so others could follow my example. I chose, before the Quarter Quell, that if the revolution didn't give birth to a world that I felt deserved my children… it wasn't a revolution at all. Coin would have destroyed our efforts, just to remain in power. She killed my sister and other medics just for a move that would ensure her victory over me." Katniss looks dead serious, her eyes set aflame just by the thought of Snow and Coin manipulating her. "I would no longer be a piece to their Games. Snow wanted me to oppose Coin, but opposing her wasn't enough for me. Snow would die soon, his condition would take care of that even if the rebels didn't. Coin was the threat. She was the one I needed to kill for the sake of Panem's future."

Thought it isn't a situation that warrants laughter, Haymitch cracks up like this was just the funniest thing he'd heard all day. At Katniss's troubled frown, he raises placating hands. "No, no. It's just that during your trial, everyone who plead you guilty said you were wholly unpatriotic, that you wanted to see Panem burn to the ground without proper leadership. But you're the worst, most patriotic of them all!" he then begins to laugh in earnest, wiping tears of mirth from his cheeks. "You tickle me, sweetheart."

Katniss blushes to the roots of her hair, glaring something fierce at him even as she sits there ensconced in Peeta's warm embrace. She starts glancing pointedly at the pitcher of water she had filled earlier, openly considering tossing the whole thing on him. Despite the danger, Haymitch can't help himself to a little Mockingjay baiting.

Looking between the two of them slyly, Haymitch points out with thinly veiled humor. "So… you want children, huh?"

Both ex-victors practically jump apart like they were _both_ on fire, beet red and furious. Katniss lunges for the water and growls viciously. Peeta merely stands off to the side and doesn't stop her, looking on disapprovingly and glowering to try and hide his embarrassment.

Even after he is soaked through and about as presentable as a dirty rag, Haymitch doesn't stop guffawing at them.

**The End.**

* * *

**Words: 2,140**

**I love him, he's all scruffy and funny and a survivor. He's also the smartest person in the Hunger Games universe. Katniss did go looking for him, but he was too drunk to pay attention to her and he said something quite cruel to her.**

**This is what I think happened after Chapter 27 and before the Epilogue. It soothes my tortured soul to put my ideas into words. I hope reading this gives you as much of a sense of closure as it gave me while I wrote it. **


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